East Coast Super League
The East Coast Super League (ECSL), is a senior ice hockey league in New South Wales, Australia. The league was formed in 2002 by the New South Wales Ice Hockey Association's amalgamation of the former Junior and Senior A leagues. It is Australia's second highest level of ice hockey, and acts as a bridge between junior leagues and the AIHL. Five of the clubs are based in Sydney and one is based in Newcastle. History The East Coast Super League (ECSL) was formed in 2002 by the New South Wales Ice Hockey Association following the amalgamation of the former Junior and Senior A leagues. The league started with four clubs, with the Raptors winning the inaugural title. The 2003 ECSL finals were won by the Sydney Heat and in 2004 the Raptors won their second title. In 2005 the ECSL expanded to six clubs and also marked the first expansion outside of Sydney, with the Australian Ice Hockey League's (AIHL) Newcastle North Stars entering a farm team into the competition. The North Stars went on to win in their debut season and won again in 2007, with the Ice Breakers winning the 2006 ECSL final in between the North Stars two years of titles. After expanding in 2006 the league dropped back down to four teams with two teams leaving the league including the previous ECSL champions the Raptors. The Ice Breakers won their second title in 2008 and in 2009 the Sting won the first ECSL final. The 2009 season also saw the Penrith Raptors enter the league, taking on the name of the previous Raptors club. In 2010 the Central Coast Rhinos entered the league after leaving the AIHL before the start of the 2009 season. They finished the regular season in first place however were knocked out of the playoffs in the semifinal round, with the Penrith Raptors going on to win the 2010 playoffs. The Rhinos and Ice Breakers both left the league at the end of the season and were replaced by the Vipers and Reach Rebels respectively for the 2011 season. The Rebels won the finals in their debut season and in 2012 the North Stars won their third title. In 2013 the Sting won the playoffs, their first since 2009. The Vipers folded at the end of the 2013 season and were replaced by the Blueline Bombers for the start of the 2014 season. The 2014 regular season was won by the Reach Rebels who also went on to win the playoffs, defeating the Sting two games to one. Rules & season structure The ECSL is played under International Ice Hockey Federation rules and incorporates some modifications from Ice Hockey Australia as well as some of its own special rules. Games are played with three twenty minute running time periods with only the last five minutes using a stop clock. Players over the age of 23 and are registered with an Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) team cannot play in the ECSL until the following season and only if they first register with the ECSL. ECSL players over the age of 23 will not be permitted to return the ECSL until the following season if they play more than one game in the AIHL. Midget level players must have played a minimum of five games in the ECSL and seven at midget level to be eligible for the playoffs. All players except goaltenders must have played a minimum of seven games with their team to be eligible for the playoffs. The league runs a 20 game season followed by a playoff series. The semifinals are a two game series which uses cumulative aggregate format to determine the winner. The grand final series uses a best of three game format. If after Game 2 in the semifinals or after Game 3 in the grand finals the series is a draw the games will go into continuous overtime. Teams Former teams Season results See also: List of ECSL seasons. The ECSL championship has been won 15 times by seven different clubs. *2002 – Raptors *2003 – Sydney Heat *2004 – Raptors *2005 – Newcastle North Stars *2006 – Ice Breakers *2007 – Newcastle North Stars *2008 – Ice Breakers *2009 – Sting *2010 – Penrith Raptors *2011 – Reach Rebels *2012 – Newcastle North Stars *2013 – Sting *2014 – Reach Rebels *2015 – Sting *2016 – Reach Rebels See also *Australian Ice Hockey League References External links *ECSL Official Website Category:Ice hockey leagues